Some in Michigan are calling one dog a hero after it stayed by its owner’s side in the freezing cold.

The dog’s owner injured his neck, leaving him stranded in the cold for nearly a full day until help could arrive.

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Bob was walking out to grab more wood for his fire on New Year’s Eve in Michigan when he slipped and fell. The temperatures reached as low as twenty-four degrees but Kelsey put herself on top of his arms, essentially helping to keep his body warm.

Doctors said if it weren’t for the man’s dog, named Kelsey, who found him and stayed by his side until help arrived, he might not be alive.

“Kelsey was licking him and barking at him and pawing at him. I can see marks on his arm from her pawing at him,” said Bob’s daughter, Jenny.

It wasn’t until a neighbor came to borrow eggs that Bob was found with Kelsey by his side.

“"The last thing he remembers saying is telling Kelsey that he was so sorry, that he tried as hard as he could to stay alive,” said Jenny. “He wasn't sure by the end, he remembers losing consciousness and kind of putting his head to the side and saying ' I gave it all I could give it' and that was it. We think about one hour later is when Rick came and found him."

Bob was then prepped for neurosurgery, which was successful.

The doctor in charge of the procedure, Dr. Chaim Colen, said “"I don't think he would be living unless the dog were there. The dog kept him warm. The dog kept his extremities warm. He didn't have any frostbite and it was twenty four degrees that night."

After the successful surgery, Bob and pup Kelsey were reunited once again.

"He was right out of surgery and she licked his face and they were crying and it was beautiful. It was everything that you would think the reunion would be."